When Aimee Rouski, 19, started seeing body-positive photos on social media, she realized she wanted to post her own photo to inspire others, too. But the UK-based teen wanted to encourage a specific community: people who suffer from Crohn's disease, like she does. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes the lining of the digestive tract to become inflamed, according to the Mayo Clinic. This can lead to a host of issues—some life-threatening—including debilitating pain and malnutrition. There's no cure, but therapies can often help people manage the symptoms. In the U.S. alone, more than 1.4 million people have Crohn's, according to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

Rouski told the British paper Metro that she was diagnosed with severe Crohn's at the age of 15. And in a Facebook post last week, Rouski finally went public with details of her experience. In the public post, she says she had to undergo surgery to help treat the disease. Up to three-quarters of Crohn's sufferers have to have surgery, according to the CCFA. Rouski writes that she had to have her large intestine, colon, rectum, and anus removed, as well as part of her inner thigh muscles for plastic surgery on her wounds. She now has a permanent ileostomy, which removes waste from her body.

But she wants other people in her situation to know Crohn's hasn't stopped her—and she doesn't want it to stop anyone else, either. She writes on Facebook: "I've always been okay with the stuff that has happened to me, but some people have real difficulties accepting these things so I just want to say this. No one will know unless you tell them. People who know will still love you and still find you beautiful. Your illness is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about."

She accompanied her post with brave photos showing her ileostomy, the scars on her inner thighs, and how she can dress how she wants—crop tops!—without her stoma, the hole in her stomach, even showing. Her post has gone viral, with more than 31,000 likes. Commenters have shared in her Crohn's experience and thanked her for raising awareness, while others have offered their support and applause, too.